Braves send slugger Teixeira to Angels for Kotchman, pitching prospect
BOSTON -- The Los Angeles Angels acquired slugging first baseman Mark Teixeira from the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday, a bold trade that further bolsters the team with the best record in the major leagues.
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The Angels, with a whopping 11½-game lead in the AL West and primed for a World Series run, sent first baseman Casey Kotchman and minor league pitcher Stephen Marek to Atlanta as first reported by CBSSports.com Senior Writer Danny Knobler.
"Hopefully, I can just go over there and be one more piece of the puzzle," Teixeira said before the Braves hosted St. Louis.
Teixeira is making $12.5 million and will be eligible for free agency after the season. Atlanta general manager Frank Wren said the team was rebuffed in spring training when it offered Teixeira a deal that would have made him "one of the highest-paid players in the game."
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There were no further contract discussions between Wren and Teixeira's agent, Scott Boras. With Atlanta plagued by injuries and fading in the NL East, Wren thought he had little choice but to get something of value before losing the 28-year-old Teixeira.
"We offered him a very aggressive, multiyear contract," Wren said. "When he didn't take that, we knew we wouldn't be able to re-sign him."
Teixeira said the negotiations with the Braves were nothing more than "one phone call."
"Then we moved on," he said. "I've always been a player who believes if I go out and do my job on the field, contracts will take care of themselves. That's my plan."
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| Mark Teixeira looks anything but sad after learning he's heading to the AL West-leading Angels. (AP) |
That didn't stop Los Angeles from pursuing the deal.
"Our goal is to win a world championship," Angels general manager Tony Reagins said. "The team is playing well at this point, but being able to add a player like Mark Teixeira just makes us that much better."
The deal came two days before baseball's non-waiver trade deadline. Teixeira was among the top names in the rumor mill, and should boost a club that wanted to add another big bat to back its potent pitching staff.
Teixeira is batting .283 with 20 home runs and 78 RBI. The switch-hitter joins Vladimir Guerrero and Torii Hunter in a lineup that ranks in the bottom half of the American League in average, homers and runs.
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